Hi All,
My corded B&D string trimmer that I used at my old house is
a major pain to use at my current digs. (Fence line, multiple cords,
etc.) I've been looking for a solution, hoping I could find a decent
cordless unit that I might eventually adapt to run off the ET traction
pack. Quite unexpectedly I stumbled on the B&D NST2036, which uses
a full 36V nicad battery. Amazon has them for $170.
To sum up the online reviews, it has all the power of a gas
trimmer. (I wouldn't know, never used one.) But it only lasts about
20 min. and a second battery costs another $100. (The charger has room
for two.) FWIW, one reviewer mentioned an exchange with B&D
customer service, where the B&D rep suggested it might be
discontinued. I wouldn't be surprised. I got mine at Sears, where it
wasn't displayed or advertised. I got a clearance price of $140 new.
My impressions? I does have some grunt. And it's really
frustrating when it cuts off only ~20 min after you start. I had to
catch up on my edging by spreading it over two days with an overnight
charge. I think from here on I might be able to maintain appearances
on one discharge cycle. One thing that helps is that it has a
continuously variable "throttle" that allows you to keep the revs and
power consumption down. It's a two-string unit. It took me a few
minutes to get used to the bump feed (my corded unit is auto-feed), but
now I'm fine with it.
I'm electrically challenged, so I haven't looked into connecting
directly to the ET yet. I'm writing this now both to get some
suggestions as well as letting you know about the unit before it
disappears.
I would hope it's as simple as running a cord to the ET power
outlet. But I know the charger senses battery temp, and the trimmer
controller might too. May have to rig up some dummy resistance to
stand in for a thermistor? Is it possible the battery has current
sense/limiting circuitry, and that the ET pack might provide too much
current? If the throttle is a PWM controller I would think it would
impose its own current limit.
Or maybe the solution is to keep the battery in it (which would
improve balance but keep it on the heavy side), make a rack to carry
the trimmer on the ET and use the traction pack as a charger? The
would give it a little boost charge between ET stops. Not sure which
way to go here.
Chris
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